Guardian Angel
by liLIAnDM
Summary: Mostly Carol POV but give it a shot. Carol is ready to fight for what she loves. From her self isolation, she goes looking for revenge. Set during season 7 before Caryl reunion.


The first time she saw that man speed in front of her house, it had been a casuality. She was fixing a broken board behind her house when she heard the rumble of a bike. She couldn't not think about Daryl so she leant out to see who it was. She saw a black vest with two white wings. She would have recognized it everywhere. It was Daryl's vest but the man wearing it was not him. This man had dirty blond hair and was not as muscular as Daryl. Something was not right. She followed him with her eyes till he was just a little point on the horizon.

Why was he wearing Daryl's most precious possession? When did he take it? How did he take it? Did he hurt Daryl? Her mind screamed at her to get a move and find this excuse of a man but she needed to collect herself, she needed to have a plan and go fot it. There wasn't chance of failing it. She had to know.

When she noted a routine in that man's movements, she dressed with some of her old clothes and acted. If anything could stop a man these days was a woman in need of help who could be easily submitted into a sex toy. She knew she wasn't as attractire as she was a decade ago, not that Ed ever said something like that to her during their marriage, but she was still a piece of meat for men like those.

She put herself on the street, feigning an ank injury and waiting for that man to come. When she heard the rumble of the bike and started waving frantically her arms.

"Please! Please help!" she screamend hopping on her right foot. The bike stopped right next to her and she resisted the need to punch him on the nose.

The man, who had half of his face disfigured, came ner her "Are you alright, lady?" he asked.

Time to start her charade. "I was running from a bunch of walkers! They... they bit my husband" she said frantically, tears on her face "I... I run and I twisted my ankle!" she pointed her right foot. She leant on the man, looking for support and he didn't hesitate to help her keep upright.

"I see" he said with a sad voice "I am sorry for your husband" he added, trying to look into her teary eyes. Carol sensed it and lifted them to his. "I have a small cabin a few miles away from here, I have medical supplies.. maybe I can help you better there?"

Hooked, she thought. "Would you?" she asked in a small voice, much similar to the voice she used with Eds. She was disguted by herself for a moment before her eyes focussed on Daryl's leather vest once again.

"Of course. I can't really leave you outthere, could I?" he asked with what should have been a friendly smile but she could see a malicious light in his eyes.

"Oh thank you! I am Catherine, by the way. I don't know how to thank you!"

"You don't have to... Ever ride one before? " he gestured to the bike.

"No, I have't" but her brain conjuried up images and sensations of the times when she rode on Daryl's bike. Her legs wrapped around him tightly, his broad shoulders protecting from the cold wind, his scent in her nose... She was taken back to the real world by the nameless man who put an hand on her back helping her to the bike."What's your name?"

"Name is Dwight"

"Thank you, Dwight"

* * *

Not more than 10 minutes later they arrived to a small clearing with an old cabin at the centre of it. Dwight killed the bike and helped her dismount it.

"Here we are. I am sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting noone" he seemed really ashamed of the mess inside. Everything was on the floor: beers bottles, shirts, cigarettes and a small single bed in the corner under the window... She smiled kindly and sat on the chair. "I need more light. I need you to sit on the bed."

She followed his instructions, studing his movements and the room. He was busy looking for the first aid kit in the drawers, his back to her and the vision of those wings made something snap in her brain. She got up from the bed and silently approached him from behind. Her hand going to the knife she had hidden under the heavy coat. He was still rummaging in the kitchen drawers when she circled his neck with an arm poiting the tip of the knife on his carotid artery. He froze.

"Lift your arms up" she ordered with a cold voice, nothing like the one she used till then. Dwight didn't waste a second to follow her orders. Never moving the knife she patted him to make sure he hadn't any weapon on him.

"Catherine, what are you doing? I was trying to help you" he said, trying to reason with her but she was having no one of it. She kicked him in the kidney and he collapsed on the kitchen floor. She tied his arms behind his back. She kicked him again to make him face her. She towered on him. This time the knife was put away in favor of a gun pointed right on his face.

"Where did you take this vest?" she asked "Don't try to lie to me, I'll know and it'll be no good for you"

Dwight looked at her for a moment trying to decide if to tell the thruth or not. "I stole it"

"From who?" her eyes piercing through his and her hands steady and ready to fire. She didn't care about killing this piece of shit.

"A man. What do you care?" he asked.

"Did you kill him?" her voice trembled a little and she hated herself for it.

"Oh, I understand. He was someone you knew, ain't it?" he smiled a sick smile that almost made her lose control. If this man had hurt Daryl, it would be hell to pay for him.

"Did you?" she insisted. She had to know,. A part of her brain was screaming at her to kill him and leave him as walker food but the other part wanted to know what happened. Dwight just smiled again and she didn't waste time to punch him in the nose with the butt of the gun. "Answer me!" she screamed looking with a sick satisfation the blood coming from the man's nose.

"He was just a dirty redneck" he laughed in her face "I made him eat dog food, I didn't make him sleep for days, I made him fight with walkers" he laughed again and Carol completely lost her mind. She shot him in the leg and Dwight hollered from pain. She left the gun on the kitchen and retrieved her knife.

The moon was up when she exited the cabin. Her clothes were bloody and her hands were shaking. She looked up at the moon and screamed and cried all her agony. When she felt she couldn't cry anymore she went back inside to retrieve her most preciuos possession. She put on Daryl's vest hating than it now had lost his scent and she slowly made her way back to the house

* * *

She didn't know how many days had gone. Ezekiel, Jerry, Richard and others came and gone but she never opened the door. She barely slept and when she did it was when she was wrapped in Daryl's vest, She cried till she didn't have anymore tears. She couldn't forgive herself for being so careless toward the man that saved her time and time again.

She was daydreaming again about Daryl when a knock came on the door. She lost her patience, she couldn't stand it anymore. She got up from the couch and went to the door yanking it open ready to scream to leave her the hell alone but she stopped dead on her feet. On the other side there he was. Daryl was standing right there, tall and broad, his long hair covering half his face and she couldn't believe her eyes, She felt light headed. her breath left her lungs and her eyes filled with tears He shited from foot to food and looked afraid of her. How could he think it after all this time? She quickly closed the distance between them and hugged him, her arms going aound his neck, his around her waist holding her tightly to him. She couldn't reign in her tears anymore, crying openly in his shoulder.

* * *

They talked all night. He told her about Glenn and Abraham and Carol cried agaiin. Then he told her about the Sanctuary and she thought once again that she wasn't sorry for killing Dwight.

It was time to fight for him for a change. She would be ready to protect him in war when time comes. Decision was made when she watched him sleepily blink his eyes. He was disoriented for a moment before his eyes fixed on her.

"What's up?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep. She just shrudded and he reached a hand toward her "Come back here" he said. She smiled and turned, her back to his warm chest. His arm closed around her, pushing her in the line of his body "What were you thinking about?" he whispered in her ear.

She looked at his vest in the corner of the room and smiled. "I was thinking about my guardian angel" she simply said, placing a light kiss on the hand he had on her breast. She felt him hug her a little tighter before soccumbing back to sleep.


End file.
